A brief values-based approach to helping Veterans stay engaged in early buprenorphine treatment
Official title: A Brief Values Intervention to Support Veterans in Early Buprenorphine Treatment
Funded at Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital · NIH-11310845 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A brief values-based behavioral intervention is being developed to help Veterans with opioid use disorder stay engaged in early buprenorphine treatment and improve everyday functioning.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Bedford, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2022 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5IK2RX003789-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11310845 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Veterans with opioid use disorder who are initiating or early in buprenorphine treatment and are receiving care at VA facilities.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not in the early phase of buprenorphine treatment or not connected to VA care may not benefit from this intervention.
What this research studies
This grant focuses on creating a short, values-centered therapy to be used alongside buprenorphine for Veterans with opioid use disorder. The goal is to help patients improve daily functioning, social connections, and community participation during early recovery. The project will develop a manualized intervention in stages, starting with interviews to tailor the approach to Veterans’ needs, then building and testing the program for practical use in clinical settings. If successful, the intervention could be an important addition to medication management to support real-world recovery.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, Veterans may experience better functioning and stronger engagement in recovery during early buprenorphine treatment.
How similar studies have gone: Previous behavioral approaches often do not outperform standard medication management, making this novel focus on interpersonal functioning a potentially promising direction.
Where this research is happening
-
Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital
Bedford, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ameral, Victoria — Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital
- Study coordinator: Ameral, Victoria
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.